A Wish
by magentafeelings92
Summary: Basch/Penelo oneshot. When the group reach Archades, Basch and Penelo share a moment together. Behold the fluffiness ;


**A Wish**

_I love Penelo/Basch, so excuse me for my overwhelming desire to write about them ;)_

The bustling, noisy crowd of Archades never ceased to amaze Penelo, as she strolled down the winding paths and alleyways. It wasn't so much the overpopulation that intrigued her, for she had grown up on the streets of Rabanastre- to her, city life was no stranger. What caught her attention was the richness of the dialect, the variety of people that surrounded her. Sure, she travelled with the esteemed sky pirate Balthier and Lord Larsa, both Archadians, but they had only served in giving her a stereotype of what to expect from the people of the town. She did not anticipate the bolshy singing trios, the sleazy, gil pinching bangaa, the shady, enigmatic shopkeepers. Balthier had advised to keep away from them, although he gave little explanation as to why.

Penelo came across a ledge to sit upon, and watched the creed of moogles, twirling in synch, a rather satisfied seeq watching from afar. '_Now, we'd do well to move with caution_' Balthier's words echoed in her head. '_We'd best not attract needless attention to ourselves, eh?'_ Balthier had suggested that the group be divided- Penelo with Vaan, Basch keeping close to Ashe, whilst Fran was to stock on supplies, and Balthier was to sort out some 'personal errands'. However, shortly after the split, Vaan had become entranced with a seeq merchant who possessed peculiar items for ridiculous amounts of gil. Penelo, shortly growing tired of this, and burning with the desire to explore, left Vaan behind to do some sightseeing. And here she was, perched on a ledge, in the middle of Archades, watching moogles dance. A smile passed across her lips.

'Greetings, ma'am.' A smooth, velvety voice interrupted her line of thought. She looked up to see a twenty something man grinning sheepishly at her.

'Um..sorry?' She asked politely, gazing at the handsome, rugged figure before her.

He scratched his head nervously. 'I seem to have lost my way'. He admitted. 'It's been a while since I came back here. Can you lead me to the sundries?'

Penelo blinked. 'S-sure' she responded. She got up from the ledge and began walking back to where she had started. 'It's down some blocks from here' she pointed ahead. 'So it should be okay if I just leave-'

'Say, what's your name?' He interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

She stared at him. 'Penelo' she said slowly. 'If you just go straight ahead...'

'Jared. Pleased to make your acquaintance' He stuck out his hand and she warily returned the gesture. Something about him seemed to trouble Penelo, but she couldn't figure out what.

'Penelo.' He repeated, in deep thought. 'Pretty name. Say Penelo, care to go out to lunch with me sometime?' His hand brushed her shoulder, causing her to shiver. She didn't trust this..._Jared._ 'I'm sorry, I...have to meet someone.' She lied. Well, not completely. She did have to go back to drag Vaan away from the seeq. So, she was sort of telling the truth.

However, Jared's hand didn't leave Penelo's shoulder. 'It's alright. We could go now, if you like.' Before she had time to react, his hand grasped hers and began to lead her somewhere in the distance. 'Let go!' she exclaimed, attempting to break off the contact. 'I _said, _let-'

'Excuse me.' Her eyes shot to the person of that beloved familiar voice. _Basch._

Jared stopped dead. 'Good day, sir'. He retorted, glancing nervously at the floor.

'I think you'd do best to listen to the young woman'. Basch said coldly, scowling at the man. 'Let her go.'

'We were just catching up on old times, right Pen?' He turned quickly to Penelo, a desperate look on his face. He was obviously scared of Basch's muscular figure, and the deep cut across his brow.

Penelo stared at him in complete disbelief. '_Jerk!'_ Suddenly, she broke her hand from his grip and punched him hard in his chest.

'Uh!' He doubled over on the floor, clutching his stomach. Basch raised an eyebrow. 'You were right. You are tougher than you look.'

Penelo giggled. 'I try.' They walked away from the commotion, which was beginning to catch interest from passer-bys. Penelo felt a small sense of satisfaction.

Basch's smirk vanished quickly, however. 'What were you doing on your own?' he demanded.

Penelo avoided his gaze. 'Vaan got distracted by something...I was just wandering around til he finished.'She mumbled, twisting a lock of her hair.

'How can you be so naive? You grew up in Rabanastre, for heaven's sake!' He hissed. 'Didn't you listen to Balthier? We have to stay together!'

'Well, I don't see your precious princess anywhere!' she whispered furiously. 'That's prime example of you, losing her after just ten minutes!!'

'I didn't lose her!' he replied, his voice shaking with anger. 'We saw Fran on the way-she wanted to go with her to purchase a new shield!' He folded his arms crossly. 'I held you in higher regard than to wander off alone.'

Penelo angrily blinked away tears. 'Well, why don't you just leave me alone then?' She retorted. 'Since your opinion of me is so tainted!' She began to storm off. Basch, however pursued her.

'Wait Penelo!' He asked, his tone considerably changed. She fought the urge to stop, although she eventually felt her body involuntarily slowing down for him.

He looked at her softly. 'I apologise, Penelo.' He said sincerely. 'I was wrong to criticise you. I should not have said those things.'

She felt a pink tinge spread across her cheeks. 'S'okay', she mumbled. 'I'm sorry I was acting stupid. I let my curiosity get the better of me.' She smiled at him sweetly. 'But my knight in shining armour came to rescue me, right?'

He chuckled. 'Not that you needed much rescuing, honestly'. They both glanced at the crippled figure in the distance, and quietly laughed amongst themselves.

'Sooo, see anything interesting in Archades?' Penelo inquired.

Basch shook his head. 'Not that much, I can assure you.' They stopped near the fountain, where Penelo leant against the side. 'You?'

Penelo sighed. 'Apart from that psycho, nope. Oh!' She jumped up in excitement. 'But I did see some dancers and picked up a few more tricks! She grinned emphatically.

Basch returned her enthusiasm. 'You do seem to have a certain talent' he admitted. 'Is it a hobby of yours?'

Penelo nodded. 'Mmmhmm. I used to dance in the taverns in Rabanastre, pick up some extra gil.' She twirled on the spot. 'It's a gift' She said modestly. Basch laughed.

'Do you have any hobbies?' Penelo asked innocently.

Basch frowned. 'Apart from protecting the princess? Not really. If you could name it a hobby.'

Penelo raised her eyebrows. 'Then, what is it?'

'Hmm?'

'Protecting Ashe.' She repeated. 'What is it to you?'

Basch straightened his shoulders. 'Duty.' He replied. 'Duty to the Princess, to Lord Rasler, to Dalmasca....'

Penelo giggled. Basch raised an eyebrow at this reaction. 'What did I say?'

Penelo grinned. 'You sounded so pleased with yourself. Like the moogle that got the kupo nut.' She smiled apologetically at him. 'Sorry. It just...makes me happy.'

Basch cocked his head. 'How?'

Penelo hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. 'It's nothing.' She turned around to see the sign on the fountain. 'Toss five gil and ye shall have your wish granted.' She smirked. 'Yeah, right.'

'Try it.' Basch handed her a five gil piece from his pocket. 'Wish for more dance tips'.

Penelo looked at him sceptically, but took the piece, threw it in the fountain and closed her eyes. A moment passed, as she could hear the running water, and Basch's slow, steady breaths. She rubbed her eyes. 'Done!'

'Did it come true?' Basch asked. Penelo smiled. 'We'll have to wait and see.' They looked at one another for a second, until-

'Hey!'

They both turned away from each other simultaneously, and looked at the approaching Vaan figure. Penelo noticed Fran and Ashe shortly behind.

'Where did you go?' Vaan scowled at her. 'I've been looking for you everywhere!'

'Well, that's a change!' Penelo said sarcastically. 'Normally it's me who has to track you all the time, and I leave for one minute, and it's unforgivable?'

As the two continued to bicker, Basch noticably approached the princess and the viera. This distracted Penelo, momentarily, causing Vaan to sulk.

As the group moved forward to their meeting place with Balthier, Penelo looked up at the blue sky, and sighed audibly. 'What?' Vaan snapped. 'Nothing' she replied. Her eyes focused on Basch and Ashe, walking alongside one another in silence. She smiled serenely to herself. _My only wish is to one day be your princess._.


End file.
